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A living collection from the Altringer Eagle Lab at Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering. Problems come from expert input and from what experts publish: research agendas, standards roadmaps, agency reports. The Problem Genome system drafts each write-up, and its sources are checked before it enters the collection. It can make mistakes. It exists to put problem definition at the center of innovation. Problem definitions here can be cited, and so can improvements to them. Teams can reach domain knowledge early and contribute what they learn.

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Genome › Failure mode

Failure mode · gene 5 of 14

nobody has seriously tried

64 problems carry this gene · failure:not-attempted

⚠ independent readers often disagree on this tag — it passes an extra decision gate before use

Some problems fall between disciplines, get avoided by the institutions that should own them, or affect people too invisible for anyone to fund the work. The knowledge and tools to attempt them exist now. Nobody has tried. These are rare and valuable for students, because there are no failed prior attempts to study first.

Related genes

the science isn't there yettheoretical-gapno one can seriously attempt a solution, because the fundamental understanding it would rest on doesn't exist knowledge trapped in separate fieldsdisciplinary-silothe pieces of the answer exist, but in different disciplines that don't talk to each other works in the lab, fails in the fieldlab-to-field-gapperforms well under controlled conditions and breaks down in real-world use

How to recognize it

Search hard for serious prior attempts: named methods, funded programs, published trials. If any exist, this gene is wrong, and the write-up should describe how those attempts failed. If the foundations to attempt it don't exist, that's 'the science isn't there yet'. This gene applies only when the problem could be attempted today and is still untouched.

Our system re-reads samples blind to test genes like this one. Genes it disagrees on are drawn dashed.

64 problems in 16 fields. Filter them, then share the link.

field: the built worldthe sealed room burns differentlyit fell between the crackshigh field: society & learninghalf the classroom, one studyit fell between the crackshigh field: water & energythe chlorine pump accepts any commandit fell between the crackshigh field: digital & spacetechnically possible, economically impossiblethe economics don't workmedium field: food & the living worldmining the abyss, blind to the plumetested in the wrong worldmedium field: society & learningpoisoned in three countries, treated in noneit fell between the crackshigh field: society & learningtwo billion workers with no safety rulesit fell between the crackshigh field: society & learninginjured on the job, invisible to the systemthe rules got in the wayhigh field: society & learningchemical exposure in someone else's kitchenit fell between the crackshigh field: food & the living worldtwo billion people's water, almost no monitoringit fell between the crackshigh field: society & learningwe test ethics knowledge, not ethics practicemeasured the wrong thinghigh field: digital & spacethe bill of materials is missing most partsit fell between the cracksmedium field: the built worldscaffolding collapses without warningit fell between the crackshigh field: the built worldwaiting for the earthquake to decidethe rules got in the wayhigh field: the built worldthree billion people, no building codethe rules got in the wayhigh field: making & materialsno standard says when a robot falls safelythe rules got in the wayhigh field: the built worldsixty-two ships for six hundred cablesit fell between the cracksmedium field: health & medicinebrain data for sale, no rulesthe rules got in the wayhigh field: food & the living worldsmaller than a cell, invisible to sciencetested in the wrong worldhigh field: society & learningthe degree burned with the universityit fell between the cracksmedium field: society & learningthe transcript stayed behindit fell between the cracksmedium field: society & learningburned for the copper insideit fell between the cracksmedium field: health & medicinea million fibers that won't regrowit fell between the crackshigh field: health & medicinesequenced here, stored somewhere elseit fell between the crackshigh field: health & medicineevery cancer, a different screeningtested in the wrong worldhigh field: health & medicinemedicine's unmapped plumbingit fell between the crackshigh field: health & medicinebreathing blindit fell between the crackshigh field: health & medicineno way to know if the drug workedthe rules got in the wayhigh field: health & medicinethe cardiologist is three counties awayit fell between the crackshigh field: food & the living worldthe toxin in three-quarters of african maizemeasured the wrong thinghigh field: food & the living worldfew days from first sign to empty pondtested in the wrong worldhigh field: health & medicinethe socket fit is still a guessit fell between the crackshigh field: food & the living worlda parasite only a lab can findtested in the wrong worldmedium field: water & energythe water after the fireit fell between the cracksmedium field: food & the living worldninety-eight percent of u.s. chemicals, never assessedtested in the wrong worldhigh field: the built worldmonitoring built for new buildings, not old onesit fell between the crackshigh field: making & materialsdisassembly without a playbookit fell between the crackshigh field: food & the living worldwe can't tell healthy soil from dead soilit fell between the cracksmedium field: food & the living worldforever chemicals in the farmlandtested in the wrong worldmedium field: making & materialsautonomous labs with no safety manualit fell between the crackshigh field: health & medicineno alarm before the last breaththe economics don't workhigh field: health & medicinecleared for market, never followed upbuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: health & medicinethe implant outlives the companythe rules got in the wayhigh field: health & medicineprinted one by one, regulated by nonetested in the wrong worldhigh field: making & materialsseven plastics in the bin, no universal recyclertested in the wrong worldhigh field: making & materialssame recipe, different quantum materialtested in the wrong worldhigh field: society & learningthousands of litres of sewage, no way to treat itit fell between the crackshigh field: health & medicineyears hiding before the skin showsit fell between the crackshigh field: food & the living worldsatellites blink before replacements arrivethe rules got in the wayhigh field: food & the living worldtwice the atmosphere's carbon, thawing unmodeledtested in the wrong worldhigh field: food & the living worlddisasters that multiply, models that don'tit fell between the crackshigh field: digital & spacethe training data might be lyingit fell between the crackshigh field: food & the living worldan alphabet no one can readit fell between the crackshigh field: digital & spacenothing survives fourteen nights at minus two-thirtythe economics don't workhigh field: digital & spacehalf the oxygen vented to spacetested in the wrong worldhigh field: digital & spacegrabbing a tumbling satellite nobody controlsit fell between the crackshigh field: society & learningdigitized aid that disabled refugees can't reachit fell between the crackshigh field: water & energyblades bigger than a boeing, nowhere to recyclethe rules got in the wayhigh field: the built worldbuilt faster than the law can readthe rules got in the wayhigh field: making & materialsrecycled plastic means whatever you wantthe rules got in the wayhigh field: digital & spacea mirror with no reflectionit fell between the cracksmedium field: digital & spacesafe when we tested it, untested sinceit fell between the cracksmedium field: making & materialsno stamp of approval for a second lifebuilt without the people who'd live with ithigh field: food & the living worldmillions of years of r&d, going extinctmeasured the wrong thinghigh